.jpg "2fdc2_mpbl(1)"){kind=small}
Filipinos from north to south will get to witness Game 2 of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Datu Cup Finals between division champions San Juan Knights and Davao Occidental Tigers as it beams live this Saturday (April 13) on the country’s number one channel ABS-CBN at 3:30 p.m., with livestreaming on iWant Sports.
Led by its power combo of John Wilson and Mac Cardona, the Knights drew first blood in their Best of 5 series last night (April 11), overpowering the Tigers 84-74 in the latter’s home court at the Davao City Recreation Center.
Davao and San Juan made it to the finals after topping the South and Northn divisions, respectively. Davao trampled all over Batangas City Athletics in the final game of the South Division Finals 66-51, while San Juan leaned on their defense to upset the star-laden squad of Manila, shackling Reil Cervantes and Chris Bitoon, to eke an 84-75 Game 3 victory in the North Division finals to earn a ticket to the national championship series. The Tigers will rely on stars MVP frontrunner Mark Yee and Leo Najorda, a former professional basketball player like Wilson and Cardona, to even the championship series.
This is the first time that a game of MPBL, now on its second year, will be aired on ABS-CBN. The league founded by Sen. Manny Pacquiao has been airing on ABS-CBN’s sports channel S+A on free TV and on S+A HD on cable TV. With a home and away format featuring homegrown players, returning stars, and college standouts, MPBL continues to gain a strong following among hoop fans all over the nation as the “Liga ng Bayan.”
The replay will air on the same night on S+A at 7 pm.
For more stories and news on the “Liga ng Bayan,” MPBL, follow @ABSCBNSports on Twitter and Facebook or visit sports.abs-cbn.com. For updates, follow @ABSCBNPR on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or visit www.abscbnpr.com.
